Ah, right, the judges were called in, this just means they want to be certain the call by the ref or gyoji is the right call. There are 5 of them, all dressed in black. They are all former wrestlers, high ranked ones. They used to go by their judgment only, but now instant replay has the final say. They don't always reverse the call btw.

Just after a bout, you can see the direction the gyoji points his fan, west or east, in the direction of where the original wrestler was standing when they start the bout. This designates the winner.

I have been watching off and on since it started. I did not see the ref point either way before the judges were called in. I may have missed it. Both opponents were called back to the ring after the judges conferred and I did not see him point east or west after they were called back. I must have missed the initial call.

_________________________

Common sense and deodorant are a lot alike. People who need it the most don't use it.

He doesn't point again after judges conferred, but he is required to point one way or the other immediately after the bout on his best judgment. You get better at watching for it once you get used to it.

So someone finally beat sumo's top dog Hakuho again - this time it was the up and comer, Goeido. It only took10 bouts this time. Before that he was on a run for another consecutive unbeaten record. And I think it needs to be pointed out that the guy who beat him last time was Harumafuji - ironic as Harumafuji seems to get nothing but grief from the pundits that continue to harp that he is not yokozuna quality.

O-suna-arashi, the first sumo wrestler from Egypt as well as the African continent. He came to Japan with little but hope he could join a sumo stable and the rocketed through the ranks. He has the perfect physique for sumo and overpowering strength. He is just about to make the highest division and will really rock things there. He has the personality to make him a bad boy in sumo, something people love to hate here. Where's the popcorn?

Another one to watch is this guy, Endo. He was also a high school and college star so was allowed to become a pro at a higher rank than 98 percent of wrestlers. He is still using his family name as his ring name, which I suspect will change soon enough. He rose quickly enough that he entered the top division (just ahead of the above Osuna-arashi) without yet having a top knot. He has the perfect physique and technique for sumo. He is already a huge fan favorite though he just entered the top division this tournament. He is the next great Yellow Hope in a sport recently dominated by foreigners.

Who is the judge with the white hair? He doesn't look Japanese but it is hard to tell from the feed. In one of the early matches a young lightweight was going up against a much heavier man. The lightweight was well back from the white. When they touched he held back and the other man just reached out and slapped him in the face. Is that frowned upon or considered fair play?

_________________________

Common sense and deodorant are a lot alike. People who need it the most don't use it.

Xplain's use of MacNews, AppleCentral and AppleExpo are not affiliated with Apple, Inc. MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. AppleCentral, MacNews, Xplain, "The journal of Apple technology", Apple Expo, Explain It, MacDev, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional, MacTech Central, MacTech Domains, MacForge, and the MacTutorMan are trademarks or service marks of Xplain Corp. Sprocket is a registered trademark of eSprocket Corp. Other trademarks and copyrights appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their respective holders.

All contents are Copyright 1984-2010 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.